Whether it’s a psycho drug dealer with a score to settle or a new girlfriend with a fetish for excitement, trouble has a way of finding war vet Frank Ware…and it’s never far off.
Assignment 2:THE ANTAGONIST PLOTS THE POINT
Ronald “Rolls” Royce, ex-boxer turned rising drug dealer in the New Orleans underworld.Ron feels that the world owes him something.It wasn’t his fault his boxing career fizzled and he ended up in jail, it was the world’s fault.And he’s going to get that something by bringing the discipline of fight training to the streets.
After a boxing career spent in exotic locales ranging from lavish Clute, Texas to luxurious Westwego, Louisiana, Ron returns home, determined to find the fulfillment that he never got inside the ring.Money, power, prestige, he wants it all.And he’s willing to do whatever he feels necessary to get it.
However, the most important thing Ron feels he’s owed is the respect that he believed eluded him as a fighter.If he feels disrespected, someone must pay…with anything and everything they have.
Assignment 3:CONJURING YOUR BREAKOUT TITLE
Love Hurts
One Way Out
No Plan B
Assignment 4:DECIDING YOUR GENRE AND APPROACHING COMPARABLES
Thriller
Elmore LeonardReviews for two of my previous novels:
“…has (Elmore) Leonard’s talent for throwing lowlifes into a breakneck pace” – Kirkus Reviews / My Own Worst Enemy
“In the manner of Elmore Leonard…” – Booklist / The Buddy System
Lee ChildEx-military protagonist working odd jobs while investigating suspicious and sometimes dangerous situations.
Assignment 5:CORE WOUND AND THE PRIMARY CONFLICT
War vet Frank Ware finds out the hard way no good deed ever goes unpunished when he becomes the target of drug dealers who choose him to pay for another man’s sins.
Assignment 6:OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS
Inner Conflict
Frank Ware has arrived at a turning point.He’s spent the bulk of his life dodging bullets halfway across the world or divorce papers at home.At this point, he’s just looking for periods, isolated little moments, that he can point to and say, “that was good.”
But when you have friends like Frank has, living quietly is never easy.His heart is in the right place and he knows right from wrong.He doesn’t want to revert to old habits, but at the moment he’s moving forward, Frank becomes torn between his past and his future by drug dealers for a perceived disrespect that he has no control over.It doesn’t really matter whose fault it is, so long as someone pays a price.
But, with a newfound life in front of him, Frank must decide what’s most important: loyalty, duty, or peace and quiet?
Secondary Conflict
As if relationships between men and women weren’t hard enough already, things get really complicated when Frank finds out his new girlfriend, Margo, has a penchant for part-time burglary to supplement her income.Everybody wants a comfortable retirement and Margo is no different.She just has an odd way of getting there.
Margo is resilient and can take care of herself, but she recesses a bit when she meets Frank.The more they get to know each other, the more it becomes like they’re the only two people in the world and they discover something in each other.There’s something about Frank, a gentleness, that she wasn’t expecting.
In spite of his better judgment, Frank decides that he’s going to help Margo…as long as there are rules.Do your homework.Don’t rob from a place that can be associated with you.Only steal from those who can afford it.Together, they risk everything – life, death, going to jail.Frank and Margo put themselves in some very difficult situations.People would only do that if they were with someone they have a deep personal connection with.For them, the journey becomes about the road less traveled.
Frank tries hard to shield Margo from some of the more unsavory aspects of his life, but when Ron Royce discovers his target has a special someone, rules take a back seat.
Assignment 7:THE INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING
New OrleansA city that’s been counted out so many times, it’s lost track.A gritty, urban area as tough as they come.Constantly in the crosshairs of natural disasters and usually in the news for all the wrong reasons, New Orleans has a habit of doing a lot with a little.With its resiliency tested time and again, the city has grown more entrepreneurial and innovative.But there’s always another side to the New Orleans story.
New Orleans East and Lower Ninth WardFar from the tourist areas.Interchangeably, some of the most dangerous sections of the city and Ron Royce’s stomping grounds after a self-inflicted mediocre boxing career.Routinely ranked as some of the most violent parts of one of the most violent cities in America.The Lower Ninth Ward became famous as a symbol of inequality and bureaucratic ineptitude in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but returned to its rough, brutal roots after the cameras were gone.Or never really left them, depending on who you ask.Burglaries, guns, drugs, urban decay: New Orleans East and the Lower Ninth Ward have everything Ron Royce needs.
Lower Garden DistrictA working-class neighbor to its more upscale Garden District cousin.No oak-lined avenues, generational wealth, and five-thousand-square-foot antebellum homes here.Frank Ware does the best he can to live a quiet life in a small studio apartment, trying to get himself together.As the situation with Ron Royce gets more and more dangerous, things hit a little too close to home and Frank’s fortress of solitude is shattered.
New York Pitch Assignments - March 2022
in New York Write to Pitch 2023 and 2024
Posted
NO GOOD DEED by Brandon Hebert
Assignment 1: THE ACT OF STORY STATEMENT
Whether it’s a psycho drug dealer with a score to settle or a new girlfriend with a fetish for excitement, trouble has a way of finding war vet Frank Ware…and it’s never far off.
Assignment 2: THE ANTAGONIST PLOTS THE POINT
Ronald “Rolls” Royce, ex-boxer turned rising drug dealer in the New Orleans underworld. Ron feels that the world owes him something. It wasn’t his fault his boxing career fizzled and he ended up in jail, it was the world’s fault. And he’s going to get that something by bringing the discipline of fight training to the streets.
After a boxing career spent in exotic locales ranging from lavish Clute, Texas to luxurious Westwego, Louisiana, Ron returns home, determined to find the fulfillment that he never got inside the ring. Money, power, prestige, he wants it all. And he’s willing to do whatever he feels necessary to get it.
However, the most important thing Ron feels he’s owed is the respect that he believed eluded him as a fighter. If he feels disrespected, someone must pay…with anything and everything they have.
Assignment 3: CONJURING YOUR BREAKOUT TITLE
Love Hurts
One Way Out
No Plan B
Assignment 4: DECIDING YOUR GENRE AND APPROACHING COMPARABLES
Thriller
Elmore Leonard Reviews for two of my previous novels:
“…has (Elmore) Leonard’s talent for throwing lowlifes into a breakneck pace” – Kirkus Reviews / My Own Worst Enemy
“In the manner of Elmore Leonard…” – Booklist / The Buddy System
Lee Child Ex-military protagonist working odd jobs while investigating suspicious and sometimes dangerous situations.
Assignment 5: CORE WOUND AND THE PRIMARY CONFLICT
War vet Frank Ware finds out the hard way no good deed ever goes unpunished when he becomes the target of drug dealers who choose him to pay for another man’s sins.
Assignment 6: OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS
Inner Conflict
Frank Ware has arrived at a turning point. He’s spent the bulk of his life dodging bullets halfway across the world or divorce papers at home. At this point, he’s just looking for periods, isolated little moments, that he can point to and say, “that was good.”
But when you have friends like Frank has, living quietly is never easy. His heart is in the right place and he knows right from wrong. He doesn’t want to revert to old habits, but at the moment he’s moving forward, Frank becomes torn between his past and his future by drug dealers for a perceived disrespect that he has no control over. It doesn’t really matter whose fault it is, so long as someone pays a price.
But, with a newfound life in front of him, Frank must decide what’s most important: loyalty, duty, or peace and quiet?
Secondary Conflict
As if relationships between men and women weren’t hard enough already, things get really complicated when Frank finds out his new girlfriend, Margo, has a penchant for part-time burglary to supplement her income. Everybody wants a comfortable retirement and Margo is no different. She just has an odd way of getting there.
Margo is resilient and can take care of herself, but she recesses a bit when she meets Frank. The more they get to know each other, the more it becomes like they’re the only two people in the world and they discover something in each other. There’s something about Frank, a gentleness, that she wasn’t expecting.
In spite of his better judgment, Frank decides that he’s going to help Margo…as long as there are rules. Do your homework. Don’t rob from a place that can be associated with you. Only steal from those who can afford it. Together, they risk everything – life, death, going to jail. Frank and Margo put themselves in some very difficult situations. People would only do that if they were with someone they have a deep personal connection with. For them, the journey becomes about the road less traveled.
Frank tries hard to shield Margo from some of the more unsavory aspects of his life, but when Ron Royce discovers his target has a special someone, rules take a back seat.
Assignment 7: THE INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING
New Orleans A city that’s been counted out so many times, it’s lost track. A gritty, urban area as tough as they come. Constantly in the crosshairs of natural disasters and usually in the news for all the wrong reasons, New Orleans has a habit of doing a lot with a little. With its resiliency tested time and again, the city has grown more entrepreneurial and innovative. But there’s always another side to the New Orleans story.
New Orleans East and Lower Ninth Ward Far from the tourist areas. Interchangeably, some of the most dangerous sections of the city and Ron Royce’s stomping grounds after a self-inflicted mediocre boxing career. Routinely ranked as some of the most violent parts of one of the most violent cities in America. The Lower Ninth Ward became famous as a symbol of inequality and bureaucratic ineptitude in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but returned to its rough, brutal roots after the cameras were gone. Or never really left them, depending on who you ask. Burglaries, guns, drugs, urban decay: New Orleans East and the Lower Ninth Ward have everything Ron Royce needs.
Lower Garden District A working-class neighbor to its more upscale Garden District cousin. No oak-lined avenues, generational wealth, and five-thousand-square-foot antebellum homes here. Frank Ware does the best he can to live a quiet life in a small studio apartment, trying to get himself together. As the situation with Ron Royce gets more and more dangerous, things hit a little too close to home and Frank’s fortress of solitude is shattered.